2017 Sporting Social a Success

Last night saw the Jane Tomlinson Appeal hold the first ever
Sporting Social, and we are delighted to announce that it was a
huge success! With five fabulous stars and an audience of nearly
200 in attendance, there were plenty of laughs and support for the
event.

The evening featured a panel including Paralympic champion
Hannah Cockcroft, former England defender Danny Mills, rugby league
legend Barrie McDermott and former Leeds United defender Dominic
Matteo, hosted by BBC Look North's Tanya Arnold. The stars of the
show shared hilarious anecdotes from their careers (McFly and
jockstraps being just two of the topics!) and took part in a series
of challenges to prove their sporting metal.

The panel were split into two to compete for the most points,
with Danny and Hannah versus Barrie and Dom. The first challenge
saw Danny and Dom racing around the room collecting footballs of
varying sizes, each worth different points, which were
strategically hidden on walls, tables and even under chairs! Danny
won the first round for his team, putting him and Hannah in the
lead.

Between challenges, Tanya interviewed each celebrity one by one
and asked them about their sporting careers and beyond. Hannah
spoke about how she first got into competing and her love of David
Beckham; Danny shared who have been is favourite (and least
favourite) managers; Dominic talked about his Liverpool youth days;
Barrie praised Leeds Rhinos for their fantastic season. All in all,
there were interesting behind-the-scenes stories and a few laughs
along the way!

The second competition was the half time challenge, where Danny
and Barrie acted out sporting terms to Hannah and Dom, resulting in
some hilarious charades. This was then followed by Barrie and
Hannah being blindfolded and feeling various items to guess the
sport they belonged to - including people dressed up as cricketers
and race car drivers. The final round was quick fire questions to
score last minute points. Barrie and Dom put in a gallant effort,
but the overall winners were Danny and Hannah.

The audience also got involved in the festivities with a Red and
Yellow card game, a raffle consisting of signed sporting
memorabilia and a silent auction with 'money-can't-buy' prizes
provided by the panel themselves. There was also a wonderful drinks
reception with fantastic gin and tonics provided courtesy of Leeds
Gin.

Overall, the night was a huge success and unlike anything the
Appeal has ever done before. We can't thank the panellists; host
Tanya; the volunteers from headline supporter Leeds Beckett
University and from our very own #AppealTeam; drinks sponsor Leeds
Gin; creative partner Banana Kick; and of course the wonderful
audience on the night for all of your support.